The present invention relates to renewable modified composite electrodes for electrochemical applications and to methods for making same.
Modified electrodes have become of great interest because of their ability to extend the range of characteristics provided by the intrinsic interfacial properties of traditional electrodes. Such electrodes have become important tools in electroanalytical chemistry, and the uses have been expanding as new modifiers have been identified.
Heretofore, such electrodes have been prepared by application to the surface of an electrode a coating of a modifier to provide the desired alteration of the surface characteristics. In many applications, the surface layer becomes contaminated or attacked by the solution in which the electrode is immersed so that the modified electrode may not be reused. Moreover, the coating may not be uniform and, thus, produce variation in activity over the surface of the electrode. Thus, substitution of another electrode may involve some change in electrode characteristics and introduce problems of reproducibility of results.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a novel modified composite electrode which may be renewed by removing a surface portion thereof.
It is also an object to provide such an electrode which is homogeneous throughout its cross section and which may provide multiple forms of modification.
Another object is to provide a novel method for preparing such modified composite electrodes and for renewing such electrodes.